Durin's Dwarflings
by ImagineBaggins
Summary: Today is little Fili's first time being in charge of the house...all by himself! With baby Kili to keep an eye on, what could possibly go wrong? Perhaps it's better not to ask.
1. In Charge

**Writers note: in this story, Fili is around 7 in human years and Kili is 2. I'm not sure what that would translate to in dwarvish years, but lets just settle on the fact that they are super cute and lovable. :) Feel free to review. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Fili was bored.

Thorin was away at the forge, Dis was busy baking, and his little brother was still asleep. What was he to do? The young dwarf was currently in the living room with a box of blocks that Bofur had brought both he and Kili the previous week. Fili loved to build castles with them, or at least what he envisioned Erebor to look like. Kili often ruined the structure before it was complete, being rather clumsy and overeager to help.

Lost in thought, Fili had built a rather impressive looking tower when he heard his mother come around the corner. "My, that's impressive..." Dis came over, kneeling down next to her eldest son in order to better appreciate his work. "This is the first time you've managed to complete the tower, isn't it?"

Fili smiled at his mother, quite proud and taken by the compliment. "It is...I was close yesterday, but Kili accidentally knocked it over," he explained, laughing a bit at the memory. The blonde had been a bit irritated but the feeling vanished completely when his little brother had started crying.

"I remember," Dis smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, pausing a moment. "Fili...do you think that you would be able to manage alright while I'm away?"

Fili's blue eyes met up with his mother's in surprise, the request catching him off guard. "Where are you going?" The young blonde questioned, a touch worried. Dis seldom left, and when she did she brought her boys along.

"Gloin's wife is ill, and I'm bringing them some soup," Dis explained, rising now. "I would bring you boys, but I'm afraid you'd catch it...I would be gone an hour at the most," she explained, then seemed to be second guessing the idea. "Though, perhaps I could leave you at Bofur's..."

"No, Mum, let me stay home." Fili said quickly, excited by the idea of being alone. This would be his first time, his chance to prove himself. "I can manage, I won't get into any trouble," he reassured her, standing now too. "Please? I promise I'll be good."

Dis felt her heart melt a bit to see such eager blue eyes. Eyes so similar to that of their father. "Well...alright," she relented, trusting that he would do as he said. Despite being so young, Fili was fiercely loyal and extremely mature for his age. "Kili won't be any trouble...he shouldn't wake for another hour or so yet," she smiled, kneeling down to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be back soon."

Fili smiled, his heart skipping a beat with joy. An hour...sixty whole minutes in which he was in charge, sixty minutes in which he could prove himself reliable enough to be left on his own.

* * *

It felt like an eternity for Dis to get ready, but once she did and the door closed behind the dwarf maiden, Fili got right into action. While his mother had been getting the soup ready, the young prince had made a small list of things he would do while she was gone...and the first was waking his little brother.

Tucking the parchment away, Fili found he and his brother's room, peeking inside. All was quiet. Heading in, he looked through the bars of Kili's crib, seeing the young dwarfling curled up under a few blankets, thumb in his mouth.

"Kili," Fili whispered, excited to wake him. This was a rare opportunity, for he was always instructed to allow the brunette as much time to sleep as possible. "Kee, wake up!"

Kili stirred a little but didn't wake, and so Fili drug over a chair, climbing up. "Come on, little brother, it's time for you to wake up," he told him, gently shaking him by the shoulder. "We have a big day ahead of us; Mum has gone to visit and Uncle is at the forge, but don't worry, I'll take care of you."

The youngest Durin's eyes opened now, the shaking had been enough to wake him. Groggy a moment, he looked around in confusion before his vision focused to his brother. "Fee!" This was exclaimed happily, and he fell quiet. "Come sleep?" The youngest pat the spot next to him, and it was then Fili saw that he had once again wet the bed.

"Oh Kili...did you wet the bed _again?_" Fili wrapped his arms around him, carefully lifting him out of the crib and then climbed down from the chair. Any other baby, this would have been difficult, but Kili was quite small for a dwarf.

"There you are," he was quite proud of his success, but Kili looked very, very sleepy. "Tired," the prince stated crabbily, pressing his face to the blonde's shoulder. Why couldn't he sleep?

"I know, Kee, but your clothes are all wet now," Fili sighed a little, now that he was holding him he could feel that his trousers were a bit damp. "Don't worry...we'll get you some new clothes," to have all of this responsibility was exciting, and he welcomed every challenge that came his way.

Getting Kili dressed was no easy task. The youngest fussed and complained, he wanted the blue shirt over the green, and he had started to nod off again when Fili had once again picked him up. "There! All dressed. Are you hungry? I'll get you some breakfast, would you like that?"

Kili only rested his head to his shoulder, eyelids heavy. The brunette was not a morning person in the slightest, which was why he was usually left to sleep just as long as he needed. Fili laughed a little at the lack of response, bringing him to the kitchen. Once there, he sat Kili to his seat, wondering what he should prepare for him to eat.

Kili rubbed at his bleary eyes with both fists, quite a bit crabby yet. The dwarfling's hair was a mess, as it often was. In the morning Fili always thought he resembled a baby bird of sorts; his hair had always been a struggle for Dis to work with, since he hated to have it brushed in the least. "Do you want some porridge?"

"No."

"Well...how about some soup? Mum left some for us-"

"No."

Fili folded his arms across his chest, frowning at his brother the way Thorin did when they were being stubborn. "Well, you are going to eat something whether you like it or not. Don't you want to grow up strong like the other dwarves? You're so small, Kee, and if you eat you'll grow bigger."

Kili looked to him now, for this seemed to gain his interest. "Soup, then," he surprisingly agreed, quite a bit more motivated now that he was promised to grow as a result. "I want soup."

For a moment, Fili nearly didn't believe it. Kili was agreeing to eat! This was a feat in itself, and he knew that if Dis were there she would have been quite proud. "Soup it is, then," he smiled proudly, fixing him a bowl. Before he set it in front of him, he made sure that it wasn't too hot, and then he fetched him a spoon. "There you are, eat up!"

Kili ate a while, and since he was eating Fili decided he might as well grab a bowl for himself. Drawing up a chair, he sat next to him, deep in thought as he considered the next events for their day.

"What's this?" Kili had reached into his bowl with his hand, holding a piece of potato in his fist. "Fee? Why's this in my soup? I don't like it."

"That's only a potato, Kili. Eat it, it's good." Fili purposely ate a spoonful with a piece of potato in, as if to prove his point. "Go on."

Kili tried it upon the recommendation, but was soon to spit it out. "I don't like the po-tay-toes, Fee, they're not good. I won't eat them." With that, he used his hands to fish out every piece of potato from the bowl.

* * *

Once breakfast was done (or lunch, rather) Fili got his brother down from his chair. "Next on the list, we must do something about that hair of yours, brother...it's a mess."

Thankfully, Kili was much more awake now. After his bowl of soup and some cake he was in much better spirits. "Can we play?"

"We can play afterwards," Fili smiled down at his little brother, tussling his tangled hair. "You want to look nice, don't you?"

"No."

Fili was unsure how to respond. "Well, you should. Hair is very important to a dwarf, and you need to keep care of it," he reminded, leading the way to Dis' room. Their mother had quite a few brushes and impressive clasps. "Would you like me to braid it?"

Kili shook his head, following along after his older brother. Wherever Fili went, Kili was soon to follow, even if it meant getting his hair brushed. "You sit right here," Fili pat a spot on a chair, and Kili climbed up, already feeling impatient. "Can we play outside?"

Fili chose the brush that Dis would use for Kili, only half listening. "No...best not, Kee...no one's home, and we're supposed to ask before we go someplace. Remember?" The blonde started to brush his brother's dark hair, surprised with how tangled it truly was.

Kili squirmed in his seat, wishing he had something to do. It wasn't long before Fili had accidentally pulled on a tangle, making him cry out. "FEE! That hurt!"

Fili quickly apologized, taking the time to examine the tangle. "I doubt that is coming out anytime soon," he sighed, considering what to do. "Maybe...I could cut it out. It's only a bit of hair, and yours is so thick you wouldn't notice it missing."

Kili was enthralled by the idea. "You're gonna use scissors?" The prince asked, excited. "Cut all of it! I want mine like Mr. Dwalin's."

Fili laughed at the request, shaking his head. "No, no...Mum would kill me if I cut all of it. Just this tangle." Finding the scissors in his mother's sewing drawer, he made his way over, looking to Kili hesitantly. "Now, sit completely still...alright?"

Kili nodded tensely, eyes wide as he watched his brother bring the shears closer to his hair. This had never been done before.

Holding his breath, Fili cut the piece away. The tangle came out in his hand, and he showed it to his brother, who was completely delighted to hold a piece of his own hair. "Cut more!"

"Kee, no! That is more than enough," Fili stepped back to see his work, his heart sinking a bit when he noticed that the hair next to it looked a bit longer. "Well...perhaps a bit more..."

Five minutes later, Fili was questioning his decision.

While he had tried to make the situation better, it had only gotten worse. After trying so hard to even things out, Kili was left with a patch of hair missing. "Oh, Kee..." he whispered to himself in despair, fearful for what their mother would say.

Kili looked to the pile of hair on the floor back to Fili. "Lemme see," he demanded, reaching a hand for the handheld mirror on the table. "I want to see my haircut."

Fili felt his heart sink, holding up the mirror so that his brother may see. For a while, nothing was said, and the blonde held his breath, ready for Kili to scream or perhaps even cry.

Contrary to his fears, Kili suddenly broke into a huge smile. "I LOVE it," he declared, touching the spot in which he were nearly bald. "Cut yours, too! Fee, cut your hair, we can match!"

Before Fili could muster a reply, he heard the front door shut, and then the familiar, heavy thud of boots..._Thorin._

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**So ends chapter one. Remember to rate &amp; review, and good luck to us all, for the Battle of Five Armies soon approaches... **

**\- Jackie**


	2. Uncle's home!

Uncle had come home early. While this would have normally brought the blonde great delight, he was now quite fearful. Kili didn't seem to share his worries, however, for the sound of Thorin returning home filled him with great delight. "UNCLE'S HOME!" The young dwarf squealed, climbing down in order to run out in which to greet the king, but Fili caught him by the sleeve.

"No, Kili! Wait!" Panic set in, for he was unsure how to hide the damage done. "Let me tie up your hair first," Fili whispered now, unwilling for Thorin to find them yet. If Kili's hair were in a ponytail, he was hopeful that the patch might be hidden. "If you do, you can have more cake," he added, needing to sweeten the deal.

Kili was about to argue, but when the free cake was thrown in he nodded eagerly, plopping himself on the ground in which to allow his big brother to tie his hair up. "Hurry, Fee," he begged, the anticipation of seeing Thorin was almost too much to bear.

"Dis?" Thorin's voice sounded from the other room, and Fili tensed as he heard the thudding of his heavy work boots near. _What to do?_ Hair was so very important to a dwarf and dwarven hair took a considerable amount of time to grow. "Hold still, now," the blonde snatched up a piece of cord from his mother's table. How often Fili would sit here, patient as ever as he allowed his mother to braid his golden locks.

Kili's hair was still very fine, for he was only a small dwarfling, though it was shockingly thick and therefore easy to tie in place. Without too much difficulty Fili had gathered the remaining hair, tying it back into a little ponytail. It appeared his efforts had paid off, for the baldness was now covered. "Well, that will have to do..."

Kili took this as an invite in which he could now greet Thorin. Scrambling up, the dwarfling bolted out the door, brown eyes landing upon their beloved father figure right away. The king had just exited the boys room in an attempt to find them, and his blue eyes landed to his youngest.

"UNCLE!" Kili shrieked the name in delight, running over as he latched onto his leg in an attempt to hug him. Thorin smiled softly, scooping the youngest up. "There you are! I'd thought you missing," the king told him, unable to hide a smile as he noticed Kili's ponytail. How very cute he was; the young dwarfling tended to remind him of Frerin at times. "Where is your brother?"

As if to answer his question, Fili came from Dis' room, having taken longer than Kili for he had to hide the evidence of his taking on the role of a barber. "Uncle!" The prince smiled, masking the dread he felt. Everything had gone well up until his point. "You're home early," he observed, moving in to give a hug.

"I finished my orders early," the king answered, tussling his blonde hair. "Where is your mother?"

This was supposed to be his big moment, though after his mishap some of the fire had died down. "Mum left me in charge, Uncle," Fili announced, unable to keep the pride from his voice. "I've been keeping an eye on things, as you would."

Thorin looked a bit surprised at this, for Dis often coddled the lads-too much, sometimes, and the thought of them being alone was a bit unsettling. "Have you, now?" The king glanced around the house a moment, nearly expecting a fire to be in the other room, for something to have been broken. Contrary to his suspicions, nothing seemed out of place.

"Can I braid your hair, Uncle?" Kili piped up suddenly, grabbing a fistful of the king's dark locks, working to tie the strands together as he had seen his brother do. Unfortunately, he was doing nothing but messing Thorin's hair up. "Fee, Uncle might have tangles! Get scissors!"

Fili's blue eyes widened, and he shot Kili a look in order to silence him. "That is not necessary, Kili," he answered, clearly flustered. Thorin had looked to him quizzically, hiding a wince as his youngest nephew pulled a little too hard on his hair. "You boys weren't playing with scissors, were you?" Now that he thought about it, Fili was acting rather guilty...as if he had something to hide...

Fili chewed his bottom lip, grinding his foot into the floor nervously. "No...Uncle, we weren't playing with them-" he swallowed hard, wracking his mind for an excuse, _anything _to get out of this. Thorin was giving him 'that look' the one in which any dwarf would admit even the greatest of sins upon receiving it. No one ever avoided Thorin's crippling steel blue gaze.

Before an excuse could be given, Kili spoke up once again. "Fili was cutting hair with them!" The baby dwarf announced proudly, patting his own head now. "I'm a bald, just like Mistah Dwalin."

Thorin stared at him in disbelief, searching for evidence to his claims. _Now _Kili's new hairdo made sense. Without hesitation, he took his hair from the ponytail, and once the locks had fallen into place, he saw it...the spot of hair that was missing almost completely. "Mahal, Fili! What possessed you to do such a thing?!"

Fili's face burned in shame, upset that his brother had ratted him out. "No cake for you," he whispered angrily, looking to Thorin now. The king sounded rather vexed and he could not blame him. "Uncle, I can explain!"

Thorin's first thought was of his sister. What would she say? Dis had always taken the utmost pride in making sure her sons' hair was presentable and in fine braids, (as much as Kili would allow, anyway). Using his fingers, he tried to cover the spot with some of the brunette's hair, though this was done in vain. There was no way to cover the damage done.

Fili was near tears at this point, the eldest felt horrible for what had happened. This had been his first real chance to prove himself and he had ruined all of his progress by one silly mistake. "I was trying to get Kili ready, and he had a bad tangle in his hair...I only went to cut it out and then even it...but I cut too much," he rubbed his arm, wishing so much that there were a way in order to mend this. "It was an accident, Uncle!"

Kili stared in confusion, his eyes flickering between Thorin and his brother. Why were they so upset? Didn't they like his haircut? "What's wrong with it?" Suddenly his brown eyes pooled with tears, his bottom lip quavering.

Thorin pinched the bridge between his nose, willing away the headache he knew would come. Despite a short day at the forge, it was hard work, and he would like nothing better than to eat lunch and sleep until evening. Unfortunately, this would never happen, for now he had two dwarflings to deal with; both on the verge of tears, one with patch of hair missing.

"Fili..." he sighed, unsure how to scold him when he was already so guilt ridden. "I do not want you to use scissors again, do you understand? You might have hurt yourself or your brother," the king was firm, though his gaze softened when he saw two single tears slip down his nephew's face. Kili sniffled miserably, rubbing the bald spot on his head despondently. "I thought it looked nice," he offered quietly, suddenly self conscious of his unintentional haircut.

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!" Fili was indeed sorry, nearly more sorry than he had been since the time he had accidentally run into his little brother while playing a game of tag. The youngest had fallen on his rump and had bitten into his lip-Dis was quite positive the tears would never stop, from both sons.

"I know you won't," Thorin put a hand on his shoulder, realizing that his eldest nephew had only done this in order to help. "Perhaps...before your mother comes home...we might find a way to mend this."

* * *

**Uncle to the rescue! Let us hope that he can be of some help...Fili could certainly use it. Reviews are loved. :) Hugs to anyone who has seen BoTFA...**


	3. Braiding and Tears

"Hold still, Kili!"

"Kee, stop fussing."

"Fili, hand me the smaller clasp for his hair."

Covering a bald spot was no simple task. Covering a bald spot on Dis' youngest was next to impossible. Kili squirmed in his seat and shrieked when Thorin accidentally pulled his hair too much. The youngest cried, sniffled, moved, and did just about everything that he shouldn't have. Thorin's patience was growing thin, and Fili's efforts to calm his brother were in vain. The baby Durin was not enjoying himself. Not in the least.

"I don't LIKE braids!" Kili's big brown eyes were full of unshed tears, his hands balled into fists as he sat to the stool in the middle of the kitchen. The nap Fili had woken him from left him feeling less than agreeable, and having Thorin braid his hair too tightly had been the very last straw.

Thorin was grumbling under his breath, doing what he could to braid his nephew's hair in such a way so that it did not hurt, yet hid his patch of missing hair. "Kili! Sit still," he demanded again, voice stern. The king had a long, tiresome day, and this was about the last thing he needed. "If you move again, you will be sent to your room."

Fili inwardly cringed as his brother burst into tears. The sound of his brother crying was enough to make his heart ache. Kili wasn't usually such a crybaby, but if there was one thing he hated, it was having anyone brush or braid his hair. The dwarfling was without enough sleep, and Thorin was being a little more stern than usual, though the blond knew his uncle was actually only concerned. Dis would not take kindly to what had happened... and this was all his fault.

"Shh, Kee," Fili talked in a much gentler voice than his uncle did. "You're nearly done," he encouraged, taking one of his brother's little hands in his. "You look very charming. I believe Gimli will be rather jealous once he sees...do you know why? Gimli hasn't any braids yet."

Thorin silently thanked Mahal when his youngest nephew stopped his crying. The king took no pleasure in making Kili cry; he hadn't meant to, but the youth was overly sensitive. "Your brother is right, Kili." This time, Thorin made an effort to speak in a gentler tone of voice. "You will be the envy of many," he stated, slipping the small clasp in place. Most of Kili's hair had been brushed back and tied off. The braid covered the entire patch of missing hair, though he knew this would not be enough to truly satisfy his sister.

Kili rubbed at his eyes miserably, though his tears stopped as the words of encouragement came. The dwarfling's voice was small, and he looked to his brother with scrutiny. "W...will he really?"

Fili breathed a sigh of relief, smiling to his brother. "Yes, he will," he promised, sneaking a look to see his uncle's progress now that he had finished. Thorin had done a fine job, and he was about to say so when he heard a knock at the door. Everyone froze, and heartbeats quickened. Had Dis returned so soon?

Thorin set the brush aside, his blue eyes set towards the door. Before he might search his mind for an explanation as for what had happened, Dori entered the room, a basket of vegetables under one arm. The older dwarf was one of the few that insisted upon a healthy diet, and he had been on his way towards home when he heard the racket from inside. "Mahal! I heard him a mile away! What's happened then, Thorin?"

Thorin only now realized that his heart had been pounding. The king grit his teeth, doing what he could to ignore the accusatory tone in Dori's voice. This wasn't _his _fault. "Nothing has happened, Dori."

Dori raised an eyebrow, looking to Kili's tear streaked face. "Oh?" Obviously, he did not buy this. "Has be been misbehaving? When Ori misbehaves, I merely have him write down what he's done wrong a hundred times. Don't much fancy the thought of taking a belt to him, though I suppose all dwarflings are different."

Thorin frowned, angered that he should be accused in such a way. "I did not take a belt to him, Dori." By now, his voice had returned to its terse tone. "I was merely braiding his hair, and he didn't take to it. What brings you here?"

Fili's hands felt rather clammy after the fright he'd felt. While he knew he needed to confess to his mother, he wasn't quite prepared to. Not yet. Any other time he would have greeted Dori, but the older dwarf was discussing town business with Thorin and he knew better than to interrupt. The blond dwarf turned his attention back to Kili, and he managed a light smile for him. "Would you like to see your hair now?" Surprisingly, there was no response. Kili's brows were knit, and he was staring to the floor.

Without a word, Kili slipped himself off of the stool and made his way back for their mother's room. The prince wished to see his new hairstyle and he did not want to stick around for Dori to lecture him on the benefits of eating vegetables. Kili did not like green food. No dwarf in their right mind did.

Fili frowned, concerned by the lack of response. "Kili?" The elder of the two followed him, and as he entered the room, he saw Kili standing in front of the mirror, attempting to see his reflection. "Here y'are," being the good brother that he was, Fili lifted him from underneath the arms, giving Kili the boost needed to properly see. "Do you like it?"

Kili gingerly pet his own head, doing what he could to smooth his bangs back to how he liked them. After so much brushing and braiding, his scalp felt sore. "I guess so," he mumbled in a low voice, and then Fili set him down, feeling worse than ever before. This behavior was so very unlike Kili...what was wrong with him?


End file.
